Shipping container



July 25, 1950 w. L.- MORRISON swarms comma 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed April15, 1946 r .8 MM w m P m h y 5, 1950 w. L. MORRISON 2,516,405

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed April 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIPPING QONTAINER, Willard L.Morrison, Lake Forest, n1. v

Application April 15, 1946, Serial No. 662,206

I 1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to an improvement in shipping containers and hasfor one purpose to provide an improved means of insulating a containerhaving an inner and an outer chamber with insulating space between thechambers.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of theshipping container with part of the outer container broken away and thecover separatedfrom the container with its top surface also partlybroken away;

Figure 2 is a section along the line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail illustrating means for varying or controlling thetension of the supporting elements;

Figure 5 is another detail illustrating said tensioning means; and

Figure 6 is a view taken on the line 66 of Figure 2.

Referring to the Figure 1, I represents the bottom floor of the outercontainer and 2 the supporting means so that a platform lift can beslipped under the container to transport it. The side walls 3 are shownbroken away at 4 so as to give a better view of the inner container 5and the supporting means I. The inner container is of a size to allowadequate insulation 6 between the inner and outer containers. The amountof insulation may vary according to the use to which this device is put.It is shown only locally, but in use may fill all or most of the spacebetween the inner and outer containers. The inner container is held inplace by plywood strips which may be of any suitable size but I areshown as approximately 12 inches wide and of an inch thick, runningdiagonally through the insulation and in alternate arrangement, someextending from the bottom edge of the inner container to the upper edgeof the outer container as illustrated by la, and others from the upperedge of the inner container to the bottom edge of the outer. containeras illustrated by 11), all being embedded in the insulation 6.

In theside walls, the diagonal strips are placed in an upright positionand in the bottom wall the diagonal strips are placed ina longitudinalposition. These plywood strips ,are fastened securely at their ends totheinner and outer containers, thus giving a strong and rigid support tothe inner container.

The cover 8 has insulation 6a between its upper and lower surfacesxwhich surfaces are held apart by suitable spacing means, such as hardpaper tubes 9. The-lower surface of cover 8 and the upper surface [0 ofthe insulation .of the container are covered with a thick .piled carpetor suitableflexible or compressible member, I I, so that when the coveris lowered into place the piles or surfaces of the two members engagetogether and form a snug contact, so that the cold air within cannotescape; Referring toFigures 2 and 3, I illustrate my invention asapplied to a freight car. The longitudinal beams or sills of the freightcar are indicated at H and the freight car floor at l2. The freight carceiling or inner roof element is indicated at l3 and the freight carsides at I4. l5 indicates an inner container which may be supported by aplurality of slats or tension members l1, corresponding to the supportsla and lb of Fig. 1, and similarly arranged. The sides of innercontainer [5 may be of corrugated metal to add stiffening strength. Thespace l6 between the inner container [5 and the floor, walls and roof ofthe car is filled by any suitable insulation, such as the insulation 6of Fig. 1, the cross tensional supports I! being embedded therein. Itwill be understood that the type of insulation employed is soft yieldingand flexible or compressible.

In the form of Fig. 1 and also Figs. 2 and 3 it may be advantageous toprovide means for varying or controlling the tension of the individualsupports. Applying such control means to the supports 11, I illustratestirrups or connectors l8 to which are secured bolts H! which may passthrough any suitable supporting members 20, forming part of the car ofFigs. 2 and. 3 or of the outer container of Fig. 1. Nuts 2| may beemployed to vary or control the tension.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

In shipping frozen food or other perishable articles, it is possible toretain the food in its frozen state for considerable periods by packingit in a container that is adequately insulated. To achieve this adequateinsulation I use two chambers one fitting within the other and allowinga suitable distance, which may for example be approximately five inches,between the two chambers, for insulation. This distance between thechambers may vary to suit the purpose. In a freight carer motortruckbodythe space for insulation would be greater. Since the: means ofsupporting the inner chamber and holding it securely forms a thermalpath through the in.- sulation between the inner and outer container, myinvention employs plywood stripszlor :otlier suitable material, placeddiagonally in an elongated position so that the thermal'pathbetween theinner and outer container'is inoreased considerably in length. Thislessens the amount of heat that can penetrate from the outside. Theplywood strips are secured tautly so as to hold the Tnnerconta lnerinarigid-position. In some cases miitable tightening members can beintroduced to tighten the various strips in order to equalize the in allmembers. The ply-woodstrips i'n theiralt'ernatediagonal position areused in 'sufllcient quantity so= thatthe inner container can cm;considerable weight; I

It 'isunderstood that my invention 'canbe mdapteel to 'varibus'u'ses.It" can bea sh ipper con- 'tainer'eomplete in itself as the'one Iillustrate. Or it can be the' insulatingmeans incorporated into'a'fie'i'ghtcar, truck, airplane or any" other meanest transportation orstorage. I','I haveillustrated ashi'pping conmmqrwmcnmay beshipped as aunit, the bottom upp-ms: being-so; formed as to'permit thecontainer'togbe'raised byor' on any suitabl'e' 'supporting or elvatingplatform. In Figs. '2"an d 3, I 'ill'ustratmny mv'enuenes applied to'af-reight ear. It will be understdod that-it can be applied to a widevariety of transporting means.

It will"turthen-be' understbod that whereas-I illustrate -plywoodsupports =or slats Ta and- 1b "the car sides 14 and the inner containerl5. At

talic-central area where the section Fig. 3 is taken, .all the supports[1 are shown as extending trans- 'versely of instead of longitudinallyalong the car.

I claim:

A shipper container comprising outer and inner housings having paralleladjacent walls, the inner housing being of smaller volumetric capacitythan the" outer, means 161* supporting the il'IIlQFhQUSlHgiH theouterandholding it in position. therein co prisinga 'piurant' of" thin,

flat strips located between adjacent walls, adjacent strips beingoppositely-"inclined; each strip being anchoredUa'tfine'end 'tUtheWa'I-YTH one container and at the other end tothe wallofthe otherwhereby-lateral strips are attached to the lower wall of one containerand the upper wall of the "other, said strips being'ofsuch thicknessthat they support the: load in tension much more L. MORRISON.

REFERENCES: crrsn The vfoll'ovving.references are otreCord in the the ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I 6 ,810 Lamasney et a1 May3,1910 1,866,517 'Heylanot July'5, I932

